The worlds of pro-sports and entertainment are closely entwined. The most successful European football players are paid and treated like movie stars and the last Superbowl was the most watched show in the history of television. In summer, you can't turn on the radio without being gently massaged by the low-key murmur that is cricket coverage. So it makes sense that so many athletes decide to branch out into other parts of pop culture. And while there are a bunch of TV appearances and a scattering of music careers (have you heard John McEnroe's band? No? Do your best to keep it that way), the most common sport/entertainment crossover happens in the movies - with decidedly mixed results. There are the athletes whose film careers have equalled their sporting achievements (your Schwarzeneggers or The Rocks). There is the breed whose involvement in movies seems really kind of awkward in retrospect (way to ruin Naked Gun 2 1/2 for us O.J). There are those who've made bank by essentially playing fictionalised versions of themselves and, in the case of Vinnie Jones, doing a pretty great job of it, but the greatest athletes-turned movie stars are definitely basketball players - specifically, those playing for the NBA. Maybe it's because the NBA encourages performance at every level, with arenas pumping hip hop and celebrities sitting court-side. Maybe it's because the LA Lakers are already basically in Hollywood. Whatever the reason, it seems like every NBA player wants to be a movie star and studios seem content to front up the money to make that dream a reality again and again and again. God bless America. Here are some of the best, worst and worst-in-a-best-way movie performances by NBA players, past and present.
Brydie is an Australian writer and performer living in London and she complains exactly the same amount about the weather as every other Australian living in London. Yes, that is her natural lip colour, no, she will not be taking any further questions at this time.
